Former Duke basketball freshman sensation Cooper Flagg was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Now, Flagg is in an extremely intriguing situation, as very few top overall draft picks get to be in a position where the franchise is fresh off an NBA Finals appearance and is ready to compete now. For Flagg, that's the case.
Everyone knew that Flagg was going to be the top pick in the 2025 draft; the question became about where he would land. In shocking fashion, Dallas made the biggest jump in NBA Draft Lottery history to secure the No. 1 overall pick and the rights to draft the generational talent.
It's not often a first overall pick makes the playoffs in their rookie years, and not only does Flagg have the chance to do so with the Mavericks, but it's expected. The Mavericks are fresh off an NBA Finals appearance in 2024 and were poised to make a deep playoff run again in 2025 before injuries and the infamous Luke Dončić trade derailed the franchise's season.
However, adding Flagg to a complete roster with tons of talent, Dallas can compete to be a top four to five seed in the Western Conference in 2026. With the addition of Flagg, the Mavs have one of the deepest frontcourts in the West, with stars like Anthony Davis mixed with solid role players in Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and PJ Washington. It's unclear exactly what role Flagg will play as a three or four in the rotation, but he'll be alongside experience and talent on all parts of the floor.
Despite Kyrie Irving being set to miss a large chunk of the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn ACL in March, Dallas still has a Hall of Famer in Klay Thompson in the rotation, along with a young and extremely talented guard in Max Christie.
The situation that Flagg got thrown into hasn't been talked about enough with the drama around Nico Harrison and the Mavericks' front office following the monumental trade involving Dončić, but there hasn't been a generational prospect like Flagg drafted into a franchise that's ready to make a deep playoff run right away in decades.
Even though the talent around Flagg could potentially hinder his chances of being the best rookie in the NBA next season, given how most of the other top prospects will have much higher offensive usages on rebuilding squads, Flagg and the Mavs are ready to make some noise in the West, and this isn't a scenario that happens often at all.